all-around
Americanadjective
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able to do many things; versatile.
an all-around player.
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broadly applicable; not specialized.
an all-around education.
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inclusive; comprehensive; complete.
an all-around failure.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of all-around
First recorded in 1720–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At Paris 2024, Biles won golds in team, all-around and vault - and a silver in floor.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
The 9.3625 was dropped from UCLA’s bars score and took Chiles out of the all-around chase early in the night.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
As bleak, frightening and all-around life-ruining as the internet has proven itself to be, there was a time not long ago when the World Wide Web felt like a portal, not a black hole.
From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026
But even grave-robbing isn’t as unpleasant as the dynamics of the Morelli family, led by chief screamer, grouser, mayoral candidate and all-around non-people-person Linda Morelli.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
Andrew Jackson was not an all-around nice guy who was sympathetic and humane to the enslaved people who worked for him.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
